Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pasta - total time 20 minutes

It's nice and warm outside now (finally), so a quick light pasta is the only kind of pasta that will do.  

I planted my garden the first weekend in May and covered it with a hoop house... getting it in the ground early and the extra heat from the plastic cover means I'm starting to get cherry tomatoes already!  They're perfect for roasting quickly in the oven along with some garlic and tossing into pasta with basil and parm.  So simple and quick, it might end up being your go-to meal this summer!

Creamy Salmon Pasta - total time 25 minutes

My husband and I both accepted new jobs back in December.  His requires him to be at work early (and also home early) and mine some times requires late nights.  This difference in work schedules has impacted our life schedules too.  We're no longer waking up at the same time, which means there's an even wider gap between 'bedtimes' than there used to be.  It also means he is home (usually) hours before me at night... waiting for dinner.

Can't blame him... he is usually eating lunch by the time I'm finishing my morning coffee.  That's a long time to wait between meals.

So, the dinner goal is often... the faster the better!  Those 8pm dinners don't work when he is going to bed right after.  

This recipe is perfect for a quick dinner.  And it tastes sooo good too!  Not much of a mess to clean up afterward either (always a winner in my book).  Salmon and a cream sauce go hand-in-hand, quite delectable.  The broccoli gives it a slight crunch for texture.  And the herbs brighten the dish since cream sauces can feel a little heavy.  Yum!  I'm ready for a second serving!

Creamy Springtime Pasta - total time 20 minutes

Happy first day of Spring!  After a super long winter, man, am I glad it's Spring.  The first flowers are starting to bloom.  We can see hints of green everywhere.  Time to open the windows and let the fresh air and sunshine in!

In honor of Spring starting today, I'm cooking up a quick springtime veggie pasta.  Super quick, creamy, crunchy... perfect for when it's still a little cold outside and you want something comforting but sorta light too.  Asparagus, the poster child of Spring veggies, is the star in this dish.  I used to be afraid to try it... it kind of looks funny and everyone says it makes things smell funny... but now I love it.  And asparagus season is over in a flash, so eat it up while you can!

The other thing about this dish is the toasted garlic panko breadcrumbs.  Man, have I missed out by not toasting these in the past.  This ought to be a requirement in any dish with panko!  And it only takes a few minutes... while your prepping other things... so it adds zero time at all.  Definitely worth it!

Chicken, Bowties, and Vodka Sauce - total time 30 minutes

You might have noticed there aren't really any red meat recipes on this blog.  That is because I rarely eat it.  I just don't care for it.  There are several reasons for not eating red meat, or any meat in general.  I find that most of these ideas are a little extreme.  

For example, the health claims that red meat is bad for you.  Yes, it might have more cholesterol and fat than other foods, but it also has more protein and iron.  Or maybe you have seen PETA videos about the treatment of animals in CAFOs.  But thanks to journalists and authors for bringing issues like this to the public, grass-fed, free-range, organic options are available at nearly every grocery store.  This change also essentially eliminates other worries (Mad Cow disease, "pink slime", or other recall issues).

So when I saw Food Inc posted this article on Facebook defending Publican's Quality Meats against PETA, I was a little confused at first.  But after reading the article, I realized their point was exactly the same point I took away from their documentary.  It's not that eating meat is bad, it's a natural thing for most of the animal kingdom, it is about doing it with a conscious.  This means voting with your dollar by purchasing that grass-fed, free-range, organic meat or going to restaurants that serve it.  If everyone made this change, but our current quantity demand remained the same, there wouldn't be enough land to raise enough livestock.  So, it also means reducing that quantity in favor of quality.

To all of those vegans and vegetarians out there, more power to you!  I know I could do it, but I also don't want to know what is in that mock meat.  I like to keep my options open so I don't feel bad about indulging in a hamburger on occasion or trying something new (like Anthony Bourdain) while still trying to be conscious about my decisions and keeping produce and grains the bulk of each meal.

With that being said, here is another chicken recipe!  The pasta and chicken are pretty standard, it's the sauce that has a bit of a twist.  Vodka sauce was new to me a few years ago.  After having regular marinara all my life, the creamy, cheesy goodness became an instant favorite.  If you remove the cheese and use fresh cherry tomatoes, you keep the flavor and make the dish a little lighter.

Butternut Mac and Cheese - total time 1 hour

It is getting cold outside... bring on the comfort foods!  

It took me several tries before I got homemade mac and cheese right.  Every time I would try making the cheese sauce separately in a sauce pan and every time it would kind of curdle.  Really gross and a big waste of yummy cheeses.  Now I realize it was because everything was still right-out-of-the-fridge cold and that kind of quick temperature change does bad things to dairy.

I promised myself I would give it one more go, but I had to use a different method.  Instead of making the sauce separate... I let all of the ingredients warm to room temperature in the casserole dish, then add the steaming hot pasta and mix it together.  The cheese, cream, onions, etc combine nicely... and whatever doesn't melt will melt in the oven.  Not only does this method work, but it keeps a pot clean... and a cheese pot is one of the hardest to clean... so this is definitely a win-win.

Now that we have a base recipe, I can create variations that bring in some vegetables so the dish isn't just a pure carb fest!  Enter butternut squash!  A versatile vegetable loaded with beta carotene, potassium, and anti-oxidants.  It lends a kind of buttery texture while adding a touch of sweetness.  This mac and cheese is definitely in our fall/winter recipe rotation... especially when it is extra cold outside!

Creamy Tortellini Soup - total time 30 minutes

You have to love a tortellini soup!  They are so quick and simple... and a great meal for meatless Mondays (examples here and here).  And like most pasta dishes, the leftovers almost taste better than the original meal.

I love to stock up on fresh raviolis and tortellinis when I make my quarterly trip to Whole Foods (it is just too far away to go more often and our bank account probably appreciates the distance).  So we always have some tortellinis in the freezer to make a quick meal.  Bertolli or other frozen tortellinis work too, of course.  

Using cream cheese instead of cream in this soup make it a thicker, more satisfying soup.  While making the soup richer, you're actually saving some fat and calories, especially if you use the lower fat cream cheese... can't get better than that!

Creamy Shrimp Bowties - total time 40 minutes

We ate quite a bit of seafood last week while we were in the Seattle area... salmon, Dungeness crab, black cod, mussels, and more.  Almost got tired of it... almost... but when seafood is that fresh, you have to enjoy it while you can!  I mean, we saw the salmon swimming upstream.  We watched the fish get thrown around at Pike Place Fish Market.  And we walked down the spit of the Dungeness crab refuge.  You can't get fresher than that unless you caught it yourself!

Considering all the seafood, we didn't have my husband's favorite... shrimps!  This recipe is so easy and flavorful and is almost a one-pot meal.  And the fact that we're making the sauce from scratch and getting dinner on the table in 40 minutes makes it a perfect weeknight dinner!  The cream in the sauce adds the perfect richness, the wine adds some complexity, and cooking the shrimp in the sauce means you keep all of that shrimp flavor.  This is definitely one to keep in frequent rotation!

Eggplant Manicotti - total time 1 hour

It is eggplant season... and if you're like me, eggplant is one of those vegetables that you don't use often.  There aren't a lot of recipes out there for eggplant.  At least not like there are for zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, or other home garden vegetables.  Outside of eggplant parmesan and ratatouille, it can be difficult to find something to make for dinner.  And if you have a bumper crop of eggplant (or just want to try something different) that can be a problem!

One thing you will find with all eggplant recipes... it calls for "sweating" the eggplant.  If you have had eggplant before and didn't like it, maybe it tested bitter, it is probably because they didn't take the time to sweat the eggplant.  Essentially it is just letting salt remove some of the moisture from the eggplant before cooking it.  The larger the eggplant, the more important this process is.  If you pick your eggplant young or select some of the smaller asian varieties, you can get away without it, but miss an opportunity to really add some flavor with the salt.

This recipe uses sauteed eggplant essentially as noodles.  You could do steps one through two and make a number of noodle dishes, like lasagna or slice into strips for spaghetti.  I always felt eggplant seemed like an Italian vegetable and this may be why!  The eggplant noodles take on a buttery flavor and the filling is creamy and garlicy.  This will be a new summer recipe staple at our house!

Beet Ravioli - total time 2 hours

Beets... some people love them, some people hate them.  I guess I'm not really on either side.  Although I do not like beets from a can, all mushy and gross.  I ordered a sandwich with these canned beets on it while on vacay in San Fran... made me never want to try beets again.  But then last year I got them in my CSA order... they were yellow though.  I tried making a roasted beet soup with them... I must not have cooked them quite right.  It reminded me of baby food... gross.

Not long after the soup fiasco, I was standing in line with my friend... actually, I don't remember what we were waiting for... but I do remember the people in front of us.  This guy in front of us was talking to another guy about how kids do not eat their vegetables and that one day people will not remember what beets are.  This struck me as kind of funny.  First, this man was not much older than us to be having one of those "when I was your age" moments.  Second, my friend I was with happens to love vegetables (including beets), she also has a passion for cooking.  And third, how does one just forget a vegetable?  I guess we have lost many varieties from core vegetables and fruits, but they all still exist, right?  Losing a variety of apples does not make everyone forget apples still exist.

So, with anything, I always give it three strikes before ruling it out and beets only had two against it (neither were their fault).  I have always wanted to make my own ravioli and I saw something on Pinterest about colored pasta dough (the recipe used food coloring, but mentioned you could use beets).  Again, they came in my CSA delivery... this time they were traditional red.  ** You need some time to make this between roasting and cooling and kneading and cooling the dough, but really the recipe is quite simple. **

Pan Ravioli - total time 30 minutes

For those of you that think bacon makes everything better... here is a dish for you!  I have never been that into bacon.  I mean, it is good in small amounts on occasion.  This dish kind of changes my mind.  The bacon gives it a salty, rich flavor with the crunch of the pan toasted ravioli tossed in some delicious veggies.  Basically, I can't wait to make this again!

Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rollups - total time 1 hour

I have developed a Nat Geo addiction over the past week or so.  Last weekend I watched too many hours of The 80s: The Decade That Made Us which I thought was fascinating.  Two things kept crossing my mind while I stared at the screen... 'how did I not know any of this was going on while I was growing up?' and 'wow, I can't believe we lived without ___ 20 years ago'.  Things I take for granted now, like computers that fit on a desk, internet, cell phones, etc.  Now I do remember the progression of all this technology... the green and black computer screens, getting on the internet for the first time in fourth grade, using my dad's cell phone for the first time in eighth grade... but it is hard to think of life without these things now.

And now Nat Geo has me hooked on Brain Games and I am sure I'll get hooked on The Numbers Game.  Can't multi-task and watch these shows... they take you're full attention. At least one network has something interesting to watch.  I used to default to Cooking Channel or Food Network (are you surprised?), but now those channels are full of reality cooking/baking crap.  I tried to sit through an episode of Cupcake Wars (while doing other things, mind you) and had to change the channel... 

Any way... here is a recipe that you can prepare on a night you have time to cook and save it for a night you don't want to or don't have time to cook but still want a home-cooked meal!

Make Ahead Mexican Stuffed Shells - total prep time 20 minutes

Ugh, it has been a rough week with some late nights at work.  It is easy to come home and not want to cook.  Since we're trying to limit processed foods in our diet, not wanting to cook doesn't leave a lot of options.  So after seeing a pin on Pinterest about freezer meals, I thought about having a 'backup' meal ready to go from fridge to oven to table.  In fact, I could even call my husband ahead of time and have him put it in the oven and it could be ready by the time I got home (and then we aren't eating after 9pm).

So I thought about what I could make that could sit in the fridge a few days before being completely baked and I think this works for most noodle dishes (just remove any raw eggs from the recipes and make sure to completely cook the meat).  I decided to go with the disposable/recyclable tin pans because I didn't want anything to break going from a cold fridge to a hot oven (and my husband doesn't have a good track record when it comes to cooking).  

My first go at a make ahead (or fridge-to-oven) meal was a success!  I wasn't even home when the mexican stuffed shells were made or even eaten.  I say a home cooked meal is definitely better than the Taco Bell run or frozen pizza that would have happened if it was not available.  :)

It took about 20 minutes to boil the noodles, brown the ground turkey, cook in the additional ingredients, and stuff the shells.  I ran cold water over the noodles to stop the cooking process and let the filling cool down a little.  After stuffing the shells and topping with cheese, I covered the tin pan with aluminum foil and wrote the baking instructions on top.  So simple!  I'm definitely planning to prepare one of these every week for that night that inevitably comes where I just don't want to cook.

What do you do when you don't want to cook?

Manicotti - total time 40 minutes

My husband thinks that the reason Mexican restaurants are able to get you your food so quickly is because everything on the menu is a variation of the same thing.  Pick your shell (tortilla for burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, hard shell for tacos, chalupas, and salads), pick your meat/veggies, and pick your sauce (cheese, red, verde) then wrap it up and serve with some rice and beans.  Seems like it should be the same for Italian restaurants... pick the type of noodle, cheese or meat, and type of sauce... done... but it never comes out quite that fast.

I used to think manicotti was the superior Italian entree until I started making it myself and realized manicotti is just stuffed shells in tubular form.  Still delicious!

Creamy Sundried Tomato Pasta - total time 30 minutes

One of the less fun things about cooking a lot at home is the mess that needs to be cleaned up afterward.  It doesn't matter how simple the meal is, my kitchen looks a wreck every night.  I don't know how I manage to be so messy and use so many bowls, pots, pans, spoons, and knives.  I seem to fill up the dish washer every night... and there is only two of us!

This meal actually had minimal clean up.  It is almost a one pot meal (you need one to boil pasta in, but that isn't hard to clean up after).  Everything else is just sauted, tossed, and served in one pot.  Soak the pot while you eat and you're pretty much done cleaning!

Homemade Mac and Cheese - total time 45 minutes

I finally did it!  I finally made mac and cheese from scratch!  After many failed attempts... for some reason I just cannot get cheese sauce to cooperate... I found a technique that actually makes the whole process a little faster!  So if you ever tried to make mac and cheese before and it just didn't turn out right, or you want to ditch the boxed stuff and make it homemade for the first time.... this method seems to be fail proof.

10 oz noodles, shells or elbows
.5 cup milk
.5 cup cream
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp butter
1 cup white cheddar, shredded
1 cup gouda, shredded
1 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil noodles according to package directions.  Melt butter over medium-low heat and saute garlic and onions for three minutes.
2.  Add milk, cream, chili powder, salt, and pepper to sauteed garlic and onions and heat for two minutes.  Drain noodles (do not allow noodles to cool) and toss into pot with milky mixture.  Add a half cup of shredded cheese at a time, stir until cheese melts and incorporates.  Repeat.
3.  Transfer mac and cheese into a casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes (optional, add bread crumbs on top for a crispy, crunchy layer).  Add a sprinkle of chili powder on top and serve!

Broccoli Avocado Pasta - total time 20 minutes

I'm not quite sure when avocados are in season, since they really don't grow in Ohio, but they must be in season now because they are on sale everywhere!  And they are one of the so called 'super foods' because of their potassium and omega 3 fatty acids.  Sounds like a good excuse to stock up and make some guac!

Really you can use avocados to replace a lot of creamy sauces, like in chicken or tuna salad.  I also love avocados on sandwiches and burgers because I don't like condiments.  I have seen them used in smoothies, but I'm not sure I'm ready to try that yet.  What I am ready to try is making an avocado sauce that replaces alfredo!  And if you make your own alfredo sauce, this is sooo much easier!

Sauce
1 avocado
.25 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp parm, shredded
1 tbsp basil, chopped
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper

2 cups cooked spaghetti
1.5 cups steamed broccoli

1.  Boil spaghetti noodles according to package.  Steam broccoli for 5 minutes.  Saute garlic in olive oil.
2.  Cut open avocado and scoop out into small mixing bowl.  Add lemon juice, chopped basil, shredded parm, sauteed garlic, creme fraiche, salt and pepper.  Smash ingredients together with a fork.
3.  Combine noodles, broccoli, and sauce together and serve! (see, so easy!)

Baked Lasagna Raviolis - total time 45 minutes

So this is cheating a little on the 40 day challenge because I already made baked raviolis a few weeks ago.  But these are different because I am actually making the raviolis!  So this recipe is kind of the spinach and artichoke lasagna recipe wrapped up in wontons.  These make a great meal covered in tomato sauce, but also make a great appetizer because they can be finger food too!

Oh... and just so you don't make the same mistake I did... artichoke petals and stems are not friendly with garbage disposals.  Toss them in the compost or garbage... not the sink!

1 cup ricotta
40 wonton wrappers
1 egg
1.5 cups spinach
1 artichoke, steamed
shredded parm
salt and pepper
.25 cup tomato sauce

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Steam artichoke for 10 minutes and wilt spinach in pan. Remove artichoke petals, stem, and choke and chop the artichoke heart.
2.  Add ricotta, egg, chopped artichoke, spinach, some parm, and tomato sauce in a small mixing bowl.
3.  Lay out wonton wrappers on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Add about one tablespoon of filling mixture on each wonton.  Wet edges of wonton wrapper with water (brush on with finger) and carefully lay another wonton wrapper on top.  Press edges to seal.
4.  Bake for 12 minutes or until edges start to brown and get crispy.  Serve with tomato sauce.

Pesto Shrimp Bowties - total time 30 minutes

This meal is super easy!  I had some pesto left over from the Chicken Pesto Shells, so I threw this quick pasta together after getting home late from work.  It was done faster then going out to get something from a drive thru (certainly faster than the long lines at Chipotle).

2 cups bowtie pasta
.75 lb raw shrimp, pealed and deveined
.5 cup fresh mozzarella
.5 cup pesto
1 cup broccoli
.5 cup tomato sauce

1.  Boil pasta for five minutes.  Cover shrimp with pesto and cook in pan over medium low heat until shrimp turn pink.
2.  Add broccoli and pasta to pan.  Cook for three minutes.  Add tomato sauce and mozzarella and cook until cheese melt completely.

Spinach & Artichoke Lasagna - total time 1.5 hours

So... we love spinach artichoke dip, it is the perfect appetizer.  I will pretty much try spinach and artichoke in every form possible.  Haven't made a bad one yet.  But usually I use artichokes from a can or jar, well, because I didn't know how to cook an artichoke.  It is hard to find canned artichokes that aren't marinated in some kind of oil or italian dressing of some sort... which can really change the flavor of what you were planning to make.  Well, now I can say I have officially cooked artichokes and will likely not spend the time to do that again any time soon (especially after I found out there are bag or artichoke hearts in the freezer section).

Since it took an hour to steam and peal the artichokes, I ended up using a jar of alfredo instead of making my own sauce like I planned.  This recipe would have been a lot faster if I had known about these frozen artichoke hearts...

9 lasagna noodles

1 cup fresh mozzarella, divided

16 oz ricotta

1 egg

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups spinach

1.5 cups artichoke hearts

3 cups alfredo sauce

.5 cup grated parm, divided

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute spinach in pan with garlic for four minutes, just enough to wilt down a little.  

2.  Combine ricotta, .75 cup mozzarella, egg, artichokes, cooked spinach, and .25 cup parm cheese.  Boil noodles for about one minute to get them warm.

3.  Spread some alfredo sauce over the bottom of a casserole dish.  Layer three noodles then the cheese mixture and some alfredo sauce.  Repeat.  Top with the last three noodles, cover with sauce, and finish with the remaining mozzarella and parm.

4.  Bake for 35 minutes.

How to make your own artichoke hearts...

1.  Chop off excess stem (should be an inch long).  Chop off the top of the artichoke (the prickly part).  You can cut about the top half off... you want what is in the core... or heart. 

2.  Steam artichokes for 10 minutes.  Let cool.

3.  Peal the artichoke petals and cut off the bottom, white, fleshy part.  Repeat until petals are gone.

4.  Cut out the fluffy part of the artichoke flower and scoop the rest of the artichoke flesh.  

Each artichoke results in about a half cup of artichoke heart.